Chapter 1
Start Of Something New
Mara Evans belted out “Start Of Something New” from High School Musical as she approached a small apple farm in Vermont and left the Big Apple in her rearview mirror.
This was her something new, her fresh start. Far away from the city in tone and style. The only thing she’d miss would be Broadway, but her playlists would get her through that.
Her brother, Ford, had moved to this apple farm the previous year. He’d fallen in love with fixing up the old buildings, as well as with Jolie Malssum, one of the owners. Mara had a standing invitation to visit.
Because Ford had worked in the Army with the Malssum brothers, Mara knew them all. Knox, Lawson, and Burke, and their sisters Jolie and Amber.
Which sounded like a big family to most people. Not to Mara. She was the youngest of nine, with eight older brothers. A mind-boggling amount of testosterone in one house. Mainly because their mother had died when Mara was young enough to have only vague memories of her.
Despite that, she’d had a great childhood. Her family was terrific. While she was closest to Ford, who was only a few years older, each of her brothers had spent time with her over the years, ensuring she never felt like an add-on in a family of carpenters and construction guys.
She could run a router and a reciprocating saw, but she was much happier in the kitchen or in the audience of a musical.
Ford had told her the No Phailed Apples Inn could use a baker. Amber Malssum ran the inn, which would open in a few weeks, but last Mara had heard, she hadn’t yet filled the position.
She wasn’t sure whether Amber would consider her as an option. It might be just big-brother talk, but it was a straw Mara was willing to grasp.
Because she’d been fired. Fired.
By Anson the Asshole, because she’d turned down his repeated, and increasingly forceful, attempts to get her into his bed.
Yuck.
Not only would Mara never sleep with her boss, but she would never sleep with someone who didn’t believe in the word no.
Handsy jerk.
Fired. No one in their family had ever been fired. Her dad would be mortified. Although if she told him the reason, he’d be heading straight to New York with all her brothers in tow.
She shuddered at the thought. She didn’t need her family getting arrested because she hadn’t been smart enough to leave the job earlier. She’d quit in the same breath when Anson fired her, but she didn’t know if that negated being dismissed.
The jerk didn’t even like music in his bakery. That should have been her first sign.
Shaking off the emotions, Mara followed the GPS into a driveway. She knew the farm’s basic layout thanks to Ford.
The No Phailed Apples Inn showed up first on her left. A beautiful Victorian covered in fresh paint and full of welcome. Next came the garden she knew Ford’s friend Gray was developing. She had to stop and just enjoy the summer blooms. The area was so much larger than she’d expected. Almost as big as a football field. “Raindrops on Roses” drifted through her head. She could see Maria and the von Trapps singing their way along the paths she couldn’t wait to explore.
Later.
A parking area appeared on her right, near the front of a glorious red barn. This place was incredible—old-world pioneer charm with total Oklahoma vibes.
Another huge farmhouse on the left was where most of the family stayed. The farm was home to at least five couples that she knew of. Thea and Knox Malssum stayed in this farmhouse along with Ford and Jolie. Nash, Olivia, and their kids had a house near the back of the orchard. They created cider from the farm’s apples. Amber and Gray lived at the inn. Lawson and Dani lived in the cottage on her property that connected to the back of the Malssum farm, and was where Dani raised bees and cultivated their honey.
Farm-fresh honey. Mara couldn’t wait to taste it along with the farm’s apples. Honey-glazed apple donuts sounded like a must. Maybe honey-glazed apple pie could be a specialty at the inn.
Mara was going on an apple kick, and it would be a blast. She hoped everyone enjoyed sweets because she had a ton of ideas to try. Even if this turned out to be a visit and not a job, she’d have fun playing with the flavors.
Mara hopped out of Van Dyke, her brand new Chevy Bolt, named after the inimitable Dick Van Dyke. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins had been among her favorite movies as a kid. The man had been her first celebrity crush, so the name was appropriate for her first car.
Living in New York meant she’d never needed a car of her own. Driving across New England to Vermont had made her feel independent and assertive—a strong woman, making her own choices.
She shuddered out a sigh and sang “I Have Confidence in Me” under her breath—another song by Maria from The Sound of Music. Maria had been starting something new as well. Something scary.
Was this going to be Mara’s place? Or was this a stopgap measure to help her to find her confidence?
